2019 Indian Parliamentary Elections - Manipur Set to Create History With All-women Polling Booths in Entire Assembly Constituency Thursday April 18,2019

Come Thursday April 18,2019 and the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Manipur will enter the history books, with the state being the first in the country to introduce all-women polling booths in an entire assembly constituency. While such booths have been set up in other places too, Manipur takes the cake by having an entire assembly segment managed completely by women poll officers.

Manipur has a population of roughly 2.8 million, of which 19, 59,429 are eligible to vote. While 10,31,803 voters belonged to the Outer Manipur seat, which had already gone to polls in the first phase on April 11, 9,27,626 will vote to elect their representative for the Inner Manipur seat during the second phase on Thursday April 18,2019

Significantly, of the 1,300 polling stations of the Inner Manipur seat, 76 would be entirely manned by women polling officers. Furthermore, the entire 38 polling stations in the Yaiskhul assembly constituency will be officiated by all first-timers women polling officers.

For free and fair elections, out of the 1,300 polling stations for the Inner Manipur Seat, 56 have been identified as hypersensitive and 54 as sensitive. While 90 companies of central armed police forces were deployed in the first phase, 44 companies of the central forces will be on duty for the Inner Manipur seat and 19 re-polls ordered for the Outer Manipur seat that will be conducted together with the second phase on April 18.

A total of 11 candidates are in the fray for the Inner Manipur seat, which is pitched as a four-corner fight between the BJP, Congress, CPI and Manipur film star, RK Somendro, who is fighting on an independent ticket. The Outer Manipur seat had 8 candidates fighting to represent the hills.